Bane
Bane is a fictional charactersupervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. The character's origin was in Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 (January 1993), and was created by Chuck Dixon, Doug Moench, and Graham Nolan. Bane has been one of Batman's more physically and intellectually powerful foes. He is often credited for being the only villain to have "Broken The Bat". Bane is a high ranking member of the Organization, and one of their army generals, as well as a Bodyguard to the Organization's top brass. Bane Delta, a bane from another Batman reality, position is a military commander. Publication historyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bane_(comics)&action=edit&section=1 edit Chuck Dixon, Graham Nolan, and Doug Moench created the character for the Knightfall storyline, although it is unclear what elements were introduced by each of the two writers (Dixon and Moench). Dixon wrote the character's first appearance (Vengeance of Bane),[2] with art by Graham Nolan. It is also unclear how much input was provided by Denny O'Neil (veteran writer of the Batman books, then Group Editor for the''Batman'' family of books, and author of the novel adaptation of Knightfall). O'Neil had previously created Bane's hellish birthplace of Santa Prisca in''The Question'' and the drug Venom in the storyline of the same name (published in the pages of Legends of the Dark Knight #16-20, and later reprinted as a trade paperback).[2][3] In the pages of Azrael, O'Neil introduced Bane's perception of Venom as both an addiction and the weakness responsible for his earlier defeats. Fictional character biographyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bane_(comics)&action=edit&section=2 edit "Vengeance of Bane"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bane_(comics)&action=edit&section=3 edit Bane's origin story is established in the story "Vengeance of Bane". He was born in the fictional Caribbean Republic of Santa Prisca, in a prison called Peña Duro. His father, Edmund Dorrance (better known as King Snake), had been a revolutionary mercenary who had escaped Santa Prisca's court system. The corrupt government, however, decreed that his young son would serve out the man's life sentence, and thus Bane's childhood and early adult life were spent in the amoral penitentiary environment.[2][4] Though he was imprisoned, his natural abilities allowed him to develop extraordinary skills within the prison's walls. He read as many books as he could get his hands on, built up his body in the prison's gym, and learned to fight in the merciless school of prison life. Because of the cultural and supposed geographical location of Santa Prisca, Bane knew how to speak English, Spanish, Portuguese and Latin. Despite his circumstances, he found teachers of various sorts during his incarceration, ranging from hardened convicts to an elderly Jesuit priest, under whose tutelage he apparently received a classical education. Bane murdered this priest upon his return to Santa Prisca years later. He committed his first murder at the age of eight, stabbing a criminal who wanted to use him to gain information about the prison.[4] During his years in prison, Bane carried a teddy bear he calls Osito, whom he considered his only friend.[5] It is revealed that Osito has a hole in his back to hold a knife that Bane used to defend himself.[6] Bane would be haunted, in his dreams, by a bat. He ultimately established himself as the "king" of Peña Duro prison. The prison's controllers took note and eventually forced him to become a test subject for a mysterious drug known as Venom,[4] which had killed all other subjects; the drug was administered by a doctor who bore a passing resemblance to another Batman foe, Hugo Strange. Later, in Vengeance of Bane II the very same doctor encountered Bane again in Gotham and it is confirmed that it is not Hugo Strange, who, at that point in Batman continuity, was a crazed psychologist and not a surgeon.[4] The Peña Duro prison Venom experiment nearly killed Bane at first, but he survived and found that the drug vastly increases his physical strength, although he needs to take it every 12 hours (via a system of tubes pumped directly into his brain) or he will suffer debilitating side-effects.[2][4] During the Knightfall storyline, Bane escapes Peña Duro, along with several accomplices based on the Fabulous Five (his minions Trogg, Zombie, and Bird, all of whom are named after 1960s rock bands — The Troggs, The Zombies, and The Byrds — and were designed to mimic three of Doc Savage's assistantsMonk, Ham, and Renny).[2][4] His ambition turns to destroying Batman, about whom he had heard stories while an inmate. Gotham fascinates Bane because, like Peña Duro, fear rules Gotham - but it is the fear of the Batman. Bane is convinced that Batman is the demonic bat which haunted his dreams since childhood. Therefore, Bane believes fate placed Batman on a collision course with him.[2][4] Aware that a direct assault on Batman would be foolish, Bane instead destroys the walls of Arkham Asylum—allowing its deranged inmates (including theJoker, Two-Face, the Riddler, the Scarecrow, the Mad Hatter, the Ventriloquist, Firefly, Poison Ivy, Cornelius Stirk, Film Freak and Victor Zsasz) to escape into Gotham City. Consequently, Batman is forced to recapture the escapees, a mission that takes him three months. Having run himself to exhaustion in the process of completing this mission, Batman returns to Wayne Manor where he finds Bane waiting for him (having previously determined his secret identity). After a brief explanation of his obsession to destroy him, Bane attacks Batman, first in the manor and soon the two tumble into the Batcave below where Bane continues his assault on the detective, toying with him throughout. Bane delivers the final blow by raising the Batman up and throwing him down upon his knee, breaking his back and leaving him a paraplegic. Bane thus becomes the only man to have "Broken the Bat".[2][4][7] This iconic moment is befallen in The Dark Knight Rises and alluded to numerous times in the DCAU cartoons.[8][9][10] (and nearly every other media he's in) While Bane establishes himself as the new ruler of Gotham's criminal underworld, Bruce Wayne passes the mantle of Batman to Jean-Paul Valley, also known as Azrael. As the "new" Batman, however, Jean-Paul grows increasingly violent and ruthless, allowing the villain Abattoir to fall to his death. Valley also refuses to recognize Robin as his partner. Despite Bruce Wayne's strict orders that Valley avoid Bane, he disregards those commands and foolishly attempts to confront Bane in his home; with the villain now living in luxury high above Gotham in a penthouse suite. Even with a set of high-tech, heavy metal gauntlets Valley added to the Batsuit, Bane triumphs in the fight and nearly hands Valley his execution. Despite besting Valley, Bane sustained deep lacerations in the battle and lost much blood. Hunted by law enforcement, it was impossible for Bane to admit himself to a hospital despite his worsening condition. Thus, Bane's solution was to increase his Venom intake to temporarily block the pain and buy himself time to defeat this new Batman. Humiliated, Valley returned to the Batcave where he built an advanced combat suit of metal, in place of the traditional Batman uniform, with many chambers within the suit that fired razor-sharp weapons. Reduced to little more than a wounded animal fleeing for survival, Bane fights valiantly against a Batman that overmatches him. Weakened and desperate, Bane's defeat is ensured when Valley severs the tubes that pump Venom into his bloodstream, causing severe withdrawal. With Commissioner Jim Gordon, Harvey Bullock, and Robin watching in horror as this new Batman tortures a defeated Bane; Bane asks for mercy at the hands of Valley when he asks to be killed. Despite his programming as a youngster to prepare him for his role as an Azrael, the "Knightfall" arc ends as Valley denies his innate urge to kill Bane.[2][4] Legacyhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bane_(comics)&action=edit&section=4 edit Further following the events of Knightfall, Bane recovers from his Venom addiction while serving time in Blackgate Prison, as seen in Vengeance of Bane II: The Redemption (1995). He eventually escapes from prison and returns to Gotham, where he fights alongside Batman to take out a criminal ring that is distributing a Venom derivative to street-level thugs. Following a victory over the criminals (and the revelation that behind it is the same doctor that performed the surgery on Bane years earlier in Santa Prisca), Bane proclaims that he is "innocent" of his past crimes and urges Batman to stop hunting him. He then leaves Gotham (without fighting Batman) to begin a search for his father.[11] Bane's search brings him back to Santa Prisca.[12] In search of leads, Bane questions the Jesuit priest who had taught him while he was in Peña Duro. The priest explains that there were four men who could possibly have been his father: a Santa Priscan revolutionary, an American doctor, an English mercenary, and a Swiss banker. While searching for the Swiss man in Rome, Bane encounters Talia al Ghul and the League of Assassins and eventually impresses Ra's al Ghul so much that he chooses Bane to marry Talia and become his heir (an "honor" he had previously bestowed on Batman).[12] Ra's al Ghul then launches a plague attack on Gotham in the "Legacy" storyline, with Bane at his side, who is posing as Ubu. Bruce Wayne, again costumed as Batman, gets his rematch with Bane in Detective Comics #701 and finally defeats him in single combat.[13] The defeat causes Ra's to call off the engagement to Talia and disown Bane.[14] Following the "Legacy" storyline, Bane appears in a one-shot publication called Batman: Bane (1997) with the intent of destroying Gotham City using a nuclear reactor until the plan is stopped by Batman and his allies.[15] He fights Azrael in the "Angel and the Bane" storyline.[16] Bane then surfaces in the story arc "No Man's Land", serving as an enforcer for Lex Luthor during Luthor's attempts to take control of Gotham under the cover of helping it to rebuild, but Batman convinces Bane to leave after a brief confrontation between Bane and the Joker. Following the fallout with Ra's al Ghul, Bane later embarks on a campaign to destroy Lazarus Pits around the world, and in the process, encounters Black Canary.[17] "Veritas Liberat"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bane_(comics)&action=edit&section=5 edit According to the Jesuit priest, with whom Bane speaks, there is a possibility that Bane's biological father is an American doctor.[12] In researching this issue, Bane comes to the conclusion that he and Batman share Dr. Thomas Wayne as their biological father, with Dr. Wayne allegedly becoming close to Bane's mother during his time in Santa Prisca. Bane alerts Batman to this possibility and during the time that the DNA tests are being performed, stays at Wayne Manor and fights alongside Batman on the streets of Gotham in the "Tabula Rasa" storyline. Ultimately, it is revealed that Dr. Wayne is not Bane's father, and Bane leaves Gotham peacefully (and with Batman's blessing and financial backing) to pursue leads in the snowy mountains ofKangchenjunga.[18][19][20][21] Bane eventually finds his father, who turns out to be the unscrupulous King Snake (validating the English mercenary hypothesis), and not El Jefe del País de Santa Prisca,[22] in the "Veritas Liberat" storyline. Bane, with Batman looking on, helps foil King Snake's plans to unleash a powerful weapon upon the world. Bane saves Batman from being shot by King Snake, but is mortally wounded in the process. Batman then saves Bane by bathing him in a Lazarus Pit, and leaves him with a clean slate.[23][24][25][26] ''Infinite Crisis'' & One Year Laterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bane_(comics)&action=edit&section=6 edit In Infinite Crisis #7, Bane fights alongside the villains during the Battle of Metropolis. During the battle, he breaks the back of the hero Judomaster, killing him. No reason was given for his actions in #7, though in Infinite Crisis' collected edition, one of the many changes made to the original series was Bane saying "I finally know who I am. I am 'Bane'. I 'break' people." while breaking Judomaster's back and yelling at young Koch (Jacob).[27] Bane resurfaces in the One Year Later continuity of JSA Classified #17-18 searching for the Hourmen (Rex and Rick Tyler), asking them for help. To win their trust, he tells them how, prior to the Battle of Metropolis, he returned to his homeland to put an end to the drug lords' government and in the process discovered that a new, more addictive strain of Venom had been created. In his furious carelessness to wipe out the drug trade, he was captured, and reimplanted with the cranial tubes, hooked to the new Venom, and now unable to shake off his addiction without dying from the withdrawal. Bane was forced to work as an enforcer for the drug cartel, unable to escape. Believing that Bane sought Rex Tyler's expertise in chemistry, Rick lets him approach his father, only to discover that the story is a ruse. Bane, who had never truly been addicted to Venom, had in fact wiped out the drug lords, and destroyed every research note on Venom. He discovered in the process both strains of Venom derived from Rex Tyler's early research on Miraclo. He discovers from the Tylers that no written notes exist of Rex's work, captures Rex, and steals Rick's equipment, planning to kill Rex and force Rick to take the last of the new Venom, living forever as an addict. Rick manipulates Bane into using Miraclo and demolishing the building as he and his father escape, burying the mercenary in the rubble of the very same Santa Priscan penitentiary where his story began.[28] Eventually, Bane resurfaces in Santa Prisca and leads the country to democratic elections. Upon discovering that the elections were rigged by Computron, he uses his influence to enforce martial law, plunging the country into a civil war. Computron offers information to Checkmate who ordered him to rig the elections in exchange for their help to escape the country. Fire and Judomaster's son, Thomas Jagger, are sent on the mission, with Jagger debating whether or not to seek revenge for his father's murder. He fights Bane in order to allow Fire to escape, defeating him easily, but chooses not to kill him.[29] At the end of the miniseries Suicide Squad: Raise the Flag, Amanda Waller recruits Bane into the Squad. In [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outsiders_(comics) Outsiders] #50, he appears once more to be wearing the tubing system to apply Venom.[30] In Salvation Run #2, Bane was tricked by his fellow squad members, and sent to the prison planet.[31] In Salvation Run #3, Bane remains with Lex Luthor's faction after Joker's faction rebels against Luthor's leadership. He attacks Thunder and Lightning when they were attempting to feed Martian Manhunter.[32] Superman/Batman #53-#56 reveals Bane is trading his Venom supplies with drug lords across the globe. One of his shipments includes a trip to Gotham. Batman, who was temporarily endowed with Superman's powers, responded by attacking Bane at his home. Not only was the Dark Knight able to easily defeat the villain, the hero nearly killed him with his far superior strength. Bane survived his injuries due to the enhanced stamina from his Venom supplies. Whether these events are in continuity with the mainstream DC Universe is debatable, like much of the''Superman/Batman'' book after Jeph Loeb left writing duties. Seeing Bane using Venom again after previously stating that he would sooner die than use it, as well selling it instead of actively seeking to rid the world of the drug entirely, lends credence to the idea that this story is not canon. Secret Sixhttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bane_(comics)&action=edit&section=7 edit Since September 2008, Bane has appeared as a regular character in the ongoing Secret Six series. In the first issue, Bane is depicted as a stoic devil's advocate for the group, offering alternative points of view for both Deadshot and Catman on the subject of love.[33] He is later shown to have an almost fatherlike concern for Scandal Savage's well-being.[34] Although this is largely played for laughs in the early issues, the first arc's final issue displays the depth of Bane's affection. When the Six are attacked by an army of supervillains, a wounded (and seemingly dying) Bane's concern for Scandal results in temporarily breaking his vow to never take Venom again in order to save her.[35] Bane is later shown to have recovered from his ordeal, appearing in Gotham City with Catman and Ragdoll in an attempt to stem some of the chaos caused by the apparent death of Batman. During the team's several escapades, Bane reveals both a deep respect for his onetime adversary and a painful yearning to assume the mantle of Batman, telling a trio of rescued citizens to tell people that it was the Batman who saved them. Bane ultimately gives his blessing to Dick Grayson, praying that "God help him."[36] Following a near-disastrous mission, Bane assumes leadership over the Six. His first act as leader is to remove Scandal from active duty, not wishing for her to be endangered.[37] In the latest issue of Secret Six, Bane's Secret Six and Scandal Savage's Secret Six finally square off against each other. Bane and Scandal engage in a one on one fight where he refuses to fight back until Scandal uses her Lamentation Blades to slash his throat.[38] The card is ultimately used to resurrect Knockout.[39] Driven to near madness, Bane decides to lead the Secret Six to Gotham in an attempt to psychologically break Batman by killing several of his closest allies. The team kidnaps the Penguin, who Bane pumps for information about Batman's partners.[40] In the final issue of the series, Bane ultimately decides on Red Robin, Azrael and Batgirl as his victims. Before the Six can make their move, Penguin betrays their location, resulting in a massive army of superheroes ranging from Green Lantern, Batman and the Superman family to the Justice League, Birds of Prey, and Booster Gold converging on Gotham. The Secret Six stage a desperate last stand, but are quickly defeated. With the fates of the other Secret Six members left ambiguous, Bane is last shown being driven away in a Gotham police van. The ending of the issue implies that he plans to escape.[41] The New 52https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bane_(comics)&action=edit&section=8 edit In the company relaunch called The New 52, Bane is re-introduced in the DCU by Paul Jenkins, and David Finch's run on Batman: The Dark Knight Volume 2.[42] Here, he has a massive storage tank (very similar to his appearance in Batman: Arkham Asylum/''Batman: Arkham City) on his back and is still fighting his addiction to the Venom compound.[43] As Bruce is unable to keep up with the various legal conspiracies involving Batman Incorporated, he decides to investigate a breakout in Arkham. There he finds criminals being fed a modified fear toxin that is mixed in with Venom which makes the criminals extremely strong and immune to fear. He finds it being given to criminals by a new foe named the White Rabbit, when Batman approaches her she quickly defeats him and injects him with the fear toxin which she then gives to the Flash. Bruce then finds Bane to be behind the new fear toxin and combats him, Bruce manages to burn the fear toxin out of his and the Flash's bodies by getting pushed to the limit. Bruce manages to defeat Bane and knock him off and edge, but is left confused by the White Rabbit. Bane is then washed away by the tide.[44] Bane later appeared in ''Detective Comics (Vol. 2) #19, in the story "War Council".[45] There, his look had been altered include a vest and cargo pants similar to his appearance in The Dark Knight Rises, with an army serving him. In the story, it's revealed in flashback that prior to his appearance in Batman: The Dark Knight, Bane had intended to steal a nuclear device to threaten Gotham City, only to have a run-in with the Court of Owls, whom prevented him from stealing the device and didn't want him to interfere their plans. Later, after his defeat at the hands of Batman, a mysterious figure confronts Bane and informs him that the Court of Owls had undermined his plans and Bane returns to Santa Prisca to lead his army against them. Powers and abilities Bane is highly intelligent; in Bane of the Demon, Ra's al Ghul says that Bane "has a mind equal to the greatest he has known" (although Talia dismisses Bane's intellect as the cunning of an animal rather than the cultured, trained intellect of Batman).[12] In prison, he taught himself various scientific disciplines equal to the level of understanding of leading experts in those fields.[4] He knows six active languages and at least two additional arcane and dead ones. Among these are Spanish, English, Persian, and Latin.[12][46] The Bane of the Demon storyline reveals that he has a photographic memory. Within one year, he is able to deduce Batman's secret identity.[12] He is also highly devious and a superb strategist and tactician.[4] In prison, Bane also invented his own form of calisthenics, meditation, and a fighting style that he uses against other well-known martial arts fighters within the DC Universe. Bane creator Chuck Dixon's early tales portray Bane as a very calm, centered warrior akin to the Bruce Lee; in as much that he draws strength through calm meditation, and the spiritual energy of the "very rock of Peña Duro". Dixon imbued Bane with an almost supernatural quality when he explained that Bane triumphed in all of his prison fights by employing these abilities, while his opponents had only rage and greed to propel them. Multiple scenes in "Vengeance of Bane" explore this aspect when it explains that Bane's mastery of meditation techniques "made time and space playthings to him". A subsequent scene that reinforces this ability comes when Bird first comes to Bane for help, because he heard from other inmates that Bane has "magic... the kind that allows him to travel beyond the prison walls." [12] Usage of Venom enhances his physical abilities, including his strength and healing process, to superhuman levels.[5][47][48] Although Bane had sworn off using Venom in Vengeance of Bane II in 1995, and his character is actually written as having kept that promise to himself, it is still not uncommon for artists to draw Bane as still wearing the tube leading from his old wrist device to the back of his head, as well as almost all media adaptations of the character show him actively using the Venom compound. Writer Gail Simone explained these lapses in the continuity of Bane's appearance in an issue of Secret Six, in which Deadshot remarked that Bane merely kept his old Venom equipment with him out of habit, even though Bane states that he would sooner die than use it again.[49] Bane Delta In The Batman, Bane appears as a hitman and professional thief. In this rendition, he is even more monstrous in size and strength, and injures Batman in the first encounter. To defeat him, Batman uses the Bat-Bot, a prototype robot and even then, only barely managed to win with the Bat-Bot severely damaged. Bane's Power Infusion Module (The equipment that delivers his Venom) is a system of tubes which stretch around his body, activated by a dial on his hand. Due to his fantastic strength when using the device and his high intelligence, Bane is one of the Batman's most dangerous foes. However, the steroid venom and his tubing system is perhaps a weakness, since on several occasions he is defeated when they are electrocuted. In the episode "Traction", Batman rams an exposed electrical wire into Bane's Venom applier. After the resulting electrocution, Bane collapses under the strain. In "Team Penguin", Batman's electrocution of his tubes causes a chain reaction which shocks him senseless. He later gets an invitation to join Team Penguin, but is taken down by Batman and Robin before considering the offer. He later made minor appearances in the fourth season of the show, in the episodes "Rumors" and "The Joining, Part 2". He also appeared in the season five episode "The Batman/Superman Story, Part 1", as one of the supervillains hired by Lex Luthor to attack Superman. This is also the largest and strongest version of Bane, being over twice as tall and wide as a normal person (although he has very small legs). Role in Ultima In Ultima, Bane is a high ranking member of the Organization and was once out in control over the Heartless, most notably the Large Bodies and Large Armors. He now often commands Grunts, especially the berserker variant, since the Heartless were replaced by them. He often works alongside Maleficent, and Padro Lodo as a bodyguard. Category:Antagonists Category:Organization